Shadow of an Aparite
by Phantom R.D.S. Foxx
Summary: Papetoonian society has mostly adapted to the Aparite's but in the shadow of that cloak a poison flows... "Shadow of an Aparite or The Aparoidian Right to Drown Beneath the Masked Society for Modern Tusk" (full title wasn't accepted) Welcome to my first OC-centered fic. Starring Ryan and Roxanne from the G-Zero Chronicles. Though I'm unsure about Genre. Cover image will come soon.
1. Prologue

Welcome to Shadow of an Aparite or The Right to Drown Asunder the Masked Society for Modern Tusk. As this fic is OC-centered, there won't be any full-on appearances of Star Fox characters. But because it features Ryan and Roxanne from my acclaimed G-Zero, I put it in the Star Fox category. Hope you enjoy!**_ (Yes, this is mostly similar to the prologue of My Will. This and that story are connected.) _**  


**Prologue 1: Unknown**

It's unusually dark outside. No light sources burn and no head or tail lights of any car drive by. All that there is, is the gleam of the full moon. Its light shined into a prison cell known as 568-J, named after the cellblock its part of. Its inhabitant? That's me. A 30-year old male who, believe it or not, sat here on my terms. I never claimed I was innocent for something I defiantly committed. I'm asleep now. What? Gimma a break! It's 4AM in the morning okay?

Sorry, drifting off. Where was I again? Oh yeah: lying on a bed that felt better to more I lied on it. The springs in the mattress and the bed itself were complete bonkers. But just like a butt-print in a couch-cushion, everything takes the shape you want it to be as long as you pressure it. I've told my girl that the beds were okay, but it took a lot longer before I could actually call it that way.

Today is actually the past when I describe it now. Actually, to be completely fair, that morning was a year or so ago. If not longer. It was the day of my advanced release. How glad was I to get out of this dump. Into the real world and experience freedom. The only sense of that have been short but very, VERY pleasant encounters with my girlfriend.

Of course, I'm always too tired to realize what important day it is this time. Last time it was a general inspection… held at 6AM. I almost slept through it until a guard came by and started to rattle his baton against the bars of my cell door. What is it? A sideways xylophone!?

And I could swear that I heard that same sound that very morning. Only it was further away, down the hallway. It came closer but eventually took off and silence took over.

*There is only one shit for brains that does something like this.* I thought by myself. His name was Richard. His last name was too complicated to remember. Everyone always called him Richy, simply because the rumor had it that his uncle was stinkin' rich. Oh… how many of my fellow inmates haven't slobbered at this feet to become their friends. Me and my two friends would just look at it like: 'Dude. Are you f-ing kidding me? Have some self-respect.' Those guys seemed to be prepared to do anything. Luckily, we weren't the only inmates thinking the same. About 98%, that includes us, just watched and covered our faces from time to time.

Suddenly, the rattling came back. And it approached my cell quickly. I heard it stop at the end of the cell door of the cell just next to me. I had one, extremely sleepy eye open when I heard something clinging behind me. It was a bunch of keys attached to a large ring. Richy was trying to find the right one for the lock.

'566-J… 567-J… Ah! 568-J!' I heard him say. He put the key in the lock and turned it. My cell door opened and I heard him coming in. He tapped his baton on the iron integument of my bed in an effort to wake me up. With me already awake for 10% and absolutely hating that awful sound, if had success for sure.

'Get up mister.' he commands on in munificent manner. 'I thought you would be happier to see the morning of your release.'

When I heard that, I wish I had the power to facepalm myself right through my stupid skull. The most important day and I forget that!? My friends have been released for about two months now. Both got the same punishment. And finally, it was my turn.

Unfortunately, my mind and body wouldn't cooperate properly. My eyes were wide open all of the suddenly. I sat upright as my eyes already tended to close again. With a hazy gaze, I looked at Richy. He just stood there, smug with his baton in his right paw. As if he was expecting me to blow him or something. Hell! How should I know what he demands to get as "friend"?

But I was drifting off way too far. Those realms are best left untouched.

'Why so early?' I inquired before I uttered a lengthy yawn. Richy laughs sedated.

'Because we don't wanna cause a ruckus among the others. I thought you might understand.' he suggested to my previous career. He was probably just jealous that he never came as high as I was. Anyway, I stood up from my bed. I turned around before Richy and put my paws behind my back.

'This is the last time you'll ever wear these. Be glad.' said Richy as he put a pair of cuffs around my wrists. He put his left paw on my left shoulder and guided me out of my cell. The hallway was quiet. Really surprising since Richy rattled a lot the past few minutes or so. Richy locked my cell and guided me through the hallway.

Suddenly, without any warning, the inmates started to rampage within their cells. Like rabid monkeys trying to break out. I could hear tables, if there were any, were flipped and beds tossed at the bars of the cell. There were even those who clanged to the bars and started to pull it out. Well… **trying** to pull it out. To no effect of course.

It scared my balls off at first but then I was more assured that most cries and shouting was actually positive in tone. It was my farewell party with a shrieking choir of idiots that were still your inmates. In some respects, your fellow comrades. You're in the same building, locked in a cage and sobbing in rage until someone finally notifies you that reality is coming back at you.

Richy didn't take kindly to this surprise party. With his baton he started to slam against bars and arms jutting out in between. 'Get back!' he commanded to no extent. The inmates were going complete loco! It was a joy to see really and I was humbled. As I bowed my head a little to show my humbleness, Richy was having trouble with a pawing inmate who grabbed on to his baton. Richy frees it after a brief struggle only hit the yapping inmate in the head with it.

It was an embarrassment to get something stuck between the paws of that guy. He was a rapist and not completely 100% in the head for starters. He was also the whipping boy of the whole block and the weakest. So yeah, it was quite the embarrassment to my entertainment.

As I come closer to the door, the way to my freedom with a slightly red Richy guiding me towards it, my eyes went up for some reason. Block J had three floors, all visible from the ground floor up. Like a staircase for giants. And on the second floor, there was this guy. A wolf who liked to pretend he was a lion. He was a heavily tanned, buffed up cannibal and led a notorious gang within Block J. Always stirring with the police and guards inside.

We had a bitter rivalry ever since I called him out for "black face" in front of my girl when she visited. That guy and I had been in a fight before that. He surprised me in the showers. Classy right? Anyway, he got me a black eye. I was able to repel anything else and I've shown him who was boss. About that… I'd rather not go into too much detail. Let's just say that he walked a little more awkward after that.

He looked down on me. Pfff! As if **I** should be afraid of that. 'I'll be seeing you Doll!' I spoke and… if you thought that Block J wouldn't get any wilder… then you haven't seen that. "Doll" was my new nickname for him. I found "asshole" was too thick on top. You know? Too obvious.

Finally, the door opened before my eyes and I saw what looked like a typical office hallway. A green carpet all the way through, a T-junction in the middle and two offices in cased in stone with glass to look in and outside of them. It was like I entered an entire new world. To be clear for you reality checkers and nitpickers out there; this was the permanent exit. For those set free. There is another one leading to the lunch and dinner room and another leading outside. Just to clear things here.

We went straight on the junction and the swing door that was opened before me with an annoying loud buzz, showed a counter. It looked like stall at an airport where they check your ID. Behind the, of course, bulletproof glass, sat a desert-red coyote on a black swivel chair reading a newspaper and having a nice coffee while his feet were resting upon his desk. Something that was not authorized but he didn't care. His name was Chad and like with his younger brother, I didn't know his last name. Never had to. He had a bowl haircut that was really thin and so greasy it would put the 70's to shame.

This was the point of no return. Here I would regain all my stuff. My old clothing and other stuff I had on me. Of course, not my weapon. That would too risky. It isn't a silly cartoon ladies and gentlemen! Richy tapped on the glass, getting a less than friendly look from Chad.

'WHAT!' he bellowed in a slight Asian accent. It was funny because he did that on purpose. His real accent was slightly Brooklyn but he liked messing with people from time to time. All because of the looks on his face, you could almost say he was someone else's brother.

'Can't you see I'm reading this?' He looked over to me. 'Oh! I didn't know that was now.' he says a little more functional.

'Surprising…' said Richy condescending. 'You're taking care of this?' he asks as he sees that it's almost time for his brake. He feels like he went through a battlefield. Not unexpected since those inmates can be quite the bunch.

'Of course I'm taking care of this you racist idiot!' bellowed Chad again. 'Now go! Fill your white stomach with pre-produced hotdogs and other snacks made of cow dung!'

The moment Richy walked off, Chad started roar in laughter, kicking his feet up in the air and throwing the newspaper like an old rag away. We both had a laugh before we got to business.

'It feels… ahaha… so good to punk with him.' says Chad feeling a sting in his ribcage. He laughed a little too exuberant.

'It sure does.' I replied. 'It sure does…'

Still with his feet on the desk and coffee is in hand and mug, also important, he turned his free paw to the computer. He typed in my prison ID-number and that unlocked a cabinet behind him. He puts his coffee away and grabbed a small suitcase out of it.

The cabinet is filled from the other side where there is also a door. The storage of every inmates' stuff is better preserved that way and it's a little harder to acquire during a breakout.

Chad laid the suitcase out in front of me and, already reaching for his coffee again, opened it in front of my eyes. 'See something you like?'

But of course dipshit! I didn't say that but my expression certainly transmitted that. Chad opened a part of the window and shoved it underneath. He took it and was ready to leave. But I had one final question for Chad.

'Hey Chad?' Chad barely reacts to it, a jittery movement of his left ear to show he heard at least something. *Smug idiot.* 'Is there someone waiting for me outside?' I asked heavily suggesting towards my girlfriend. She had to wait for me as a free man for too long now. Especially since I haven't seen her in days. The last days before one's release, visits, certainly conjugal, were scrapped. For me, that reason is still not known.

It did nerve me a little. Is she in time to pick me up? Does she even know it's today? I know; too many thoughts were running through my head at that time, but I was that nervous. Nothing showed at from me, but inside it was a horrid feeling.

Chad gave me a cocky smile, knowing the exact reason why. He rolled his chair to the back of the room and knocked on the wall.

'Eh yo _STEVEN_!' he shouted towards the room on the other side. A guy named Steven who I've never met, seemingly in control of the camera's, woke up startled hearing Chad's shouting after he dozed off.

'Uuurhhh…. WHAT!?' he yelled back furious and touchy.

'Can you check if someone's is awaiting a prisoner about to be released?'

With more attention to his upcoming sleep than to the screen itself, sleepy eyes looked at every camera that showed the street outside the prison. He saw no one. No person, no car at all. With a feeling of Chad wasting his time, he covered his eyes with a cap and simply said:

'Go to Hell Chad. Time wasting S.o.b…' before he dozed off again. 'I'm sorry.' read from Chad's face as he rolled back to me. He shrugged as he too couldn't help it.

'It doesn't matter.' I dismissed it quickly while I was getting a little suspicious and even paranoid. 'Thanks for the effort Chad.'

'Nah don't mention it.' he waved off humble. 'I still have to thank you.' he suddenly brought up. I had an idea where he was talking about but wasn't really sure.

'For what?' I therefore inquired.

'You know? My brother's funeral. You did everything in your power to get to it. And the court allowed it eventually on your persistence…' He got cut-off by emotion there.

It was about a year ago, at the same time I was just imprisoned when his brother was buried. I sat there, in my prison outfit with two cops on either side of me with thick chains around my ankles and wrists. I would never attempt to get away but that extra security is just a must. '… he-he…' He looked up at me with tearing eyes. 'You were his hero man!' he called out to me. That I showed up at that funeral was so important to him and frankly for the family too.

It was an honor to hear something like that. Being someone's hero. Someone's example, a role model. This guy was always a little mysterious and never spoke so full of me as Chad did now. I didn't really know what to say.

'Chad… I uh…'

'No…' he quickly dismisses this and every other attempt for me to add anymore. It wasn't necessary. 'No. You just go. Get out of here. He… he would have wanted that.'

'Chad.' He raised his head once more. 'Your brother was a great marksman. And an even better man. He was one… no. **The** best of the best in his profession. His end was unexpected and too soon. And about that funeral, I wouldn't have missed even if that meant the world would end afterward.'

How much Chad appreciated those words proves from his expression. With a fulfilled feeling, I left that counter behind. Chad opened the door, with yet again another loud buzz adding these words to it: 'Go be with your girl.'

That brought me back to my unwanted paranoia. You see, my girl is one of a kind. Now I'm sure all you lovers out there will doubt that statement, but just wait until you meet her. She has a rare infection that alters how she looks. Just her looks, not her character. That would be very repelling but just the looks aren't enough to scare me away. I can see beauty underneath it.

So why am I paranoid? As I walked down a hallway only going straightforward, my mind began replaying visits from a few weeks earlier. She said that because of her participation in that racing event, a lot more of congenial one's came out of the closet about their infection. She was the Martin Luther King of them.

To the point now. I'm sure she'll explain that herself in detail a lot better than I ever could. She told me about her new supervisor to keep an eye on her infection. It was also kind of a buddy-system. A replacement by the name of Doctor Lightheart for me so that she could have someone in her life to do stuff with.

"Replacement". Do you see that word? Do you know what it means? Exactly. I've seen numerous cases of this system being successful for husbands and wife with demented partners, but I'm not a guy in a vegetate state. She told me, to my increased concern and a little to my growing jealousy, what they did that day. But she would always end saying that I was the one in her life.

But I haven't seen her in a few days. So the paranoia only grew beyond that point. What is she doing with that "replacement"? Did she forget about me? She always stressed how she wanted me free. But now that she has a free man to do things with… am I gonna be left in the dust? And the fact that she isn't waiting for me outside only nerves me even more.

I opened the last door before I breathe in fresh air. I also opened to a large square with high, concrete walls with watchtowers in the backdrop. However, the whole square is inaccessible to me as I'm forced to walk through a tunnel until I'm beyond the walls.

And there I stood. A free man. On the sidewalk of an empty street, just waiting for someone who I wasn't sure would come. I started tapped my right foot out of boredom and the feeling of uneasiness and paranoia. Seconds turned to mere minutes. The feeling of being left out in the cold in the actual cold was just one emphasize to show how dumb I looked like, just standing there.

Since there was literally no one in sight, I decided to get dressed properly. It's kind of repulsive seeing some guy just outside with a red prison attire on. When I got my relaxed jeans on, clipped my belt on, my upper body was still naked. It took a little longer to find a t-shirt I might like. Also, that what I wanted was suddenly covered beneath layers of clothing I had no recognition of any longer.

Now I don't like to show off, but I've trained quite a bit in prison. My upper body primarily. Them abs thou. And I wasn't the only one thinking that in hindsight. Behind me, in the shadow of a corner between the watchtower and the prison wall, someone was hiding. The creature seemed to like my naked upper body and me in general.

It lunged its long tail at me, constricting me in an inescapable grasp. I should have recognized the color, form and the harpoon at the end immediately but didn't: I was trying to escape a frankly choking grip. The creature hauled its tail back in and I was like: 'Fuck my life! This is the last thing I'll ever see.'

I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. Instead, the best thing ever happened to me. My lips suddenly touched something warm and full. It took only a blink of an eye to realize that I was kissing someone. It was girl for sure; I could smell her perfume. I kept my eyes closed as our tongues met. Her taste, that feeling I got from that kiss.

'Roxanne…' I said as our lips left each other for only a microsecond. Again, I wanted to facepalm myself but I'd rather return to Roxanne's lips directly. And so I did. After what felt like an eternity, she dragged me, yes still in that grasp that became a lot more roomy, out of the shadows and into the light on the sidewalk.

I wasn't wrong to call her beautiful. She was wearing a cropped tank top with a red Anarchy logo in the middle of it. She has something with cropped shirts. Anyway, she was still wearing that one earring with the "R" as pendant on her right ear. Same color on the "R" itself and the edges. Her jeans haven't changed either. And the Venus Flytrap was still off her shoulder. Her pallid hair has grown a little and sleekly covered her the uninfected side of her face.

The only thing that looked different was that her entire back was now infected and it even started to invade her face, curling a little around her, from my perspective, right eye. I already knew about her back but her face was new. Like I said, I didn't see her the days before my release. The infection on her previously uninfected arm had intensified by only adding a few spots of purple-metallic. The finger-claw was the only thing looking severe. The three round bulges have turned into small horns curving upwards and the two stubs on her back started to resemble cocoons of some sort.

And all that? Why should I care? One of the reasons I fell in love with her in the first place. She allowed me to put my favorite shirt on although she wouldn't mind walking away with me showing off me abs.

'So Ryan; You're a free man now. How does it feel?' she asked so sweet I could swear was in a candy shop.

'It feels marvelous.' was the only thing I could really come up with. 'It just feels a lot better…' I paused there for a second to suddenly scare the living daylights out of her. It wasn't payback for scaring me, it was more of a pleasant surprise. I grabbed her from behind with her screaming at first. I wrapped my arms around her and although from another perspective it might looked like a rape in process, she allowed me to drag her into the shadow she came from.

And uh… how do I say this properly? We did it. Right there and then. We didn't care. And for me, that was the best way to show her how much I appreciated being a free man. Also, being her free man. It was the best moment of my life. No camera were able to see us so that's a plus point. It lasted for an eternity. The exact time it took… I don't know. Sorry for not keeping a stopwatch running when I'm making love.

As she resettled her bra, I told her that. The "free man for her" thing. She knew where I was aiming at. I'm not a guy keeping things to himself. And you probably got that figured out already. I told her about my increasing paranoia during the visits. And it didn't get any better once Chase and Falco (those friends I mentioned earlier) were released. That's why she always assured me that I'll always be hers.

'Ryan. You really thought that…' She couldn't believe it. She could understand it to a certain extent but for the rest? Not really. But instead of slating me, she was compassionate. 'Oh poor thing.' She pressed me against her upper body, just above her breasts. Her chin fell softly on my resting head as she caressed through my hair.

My face turned red. Not out of shame but sheer love. Note… love story cliché 47… noted. But anyway, there we sat. On the sidewalk in each other's arms. After a few minutes, we got cold. The warmth wouldn't stay with us but that was of no matter.

We decided to go to her place. We stood up. 'Where is the car?' I asked suddenly missing something. Her apartment was several kilometers into an edge city of Papetoon City so walking all the way over here is quite the trip.

She explained that she had to park the car several hundred meters back because of a car accident that blocked the entire street. Seeing that there is only one road with one-way traffic towards the prison, there were no detours.

'I also got into some trouble with a Purist.' she confessed. Bah! I hate Purists. They are the biggest and most active Aparoid haters of Lylat. They are like the West-borough Baptist Church on dope to give an extreme example. 'But I solved it in the most civil way possible.' she ended her sentence with a sneaky smile just to show that she did something to him that the law wouldn't like. All off-screen of course.

Without any reason, the skies above began to rumble and a second later, rain came pouring down.

'You know… a car would be great now.' I complained jokingly. She gave me a nasty elbow before, yes, commanding me to cover us with a coat from the suitcase. I did and we walked away. Once we neared the supposed site of the accident, most of it was already cleared up. All I found of that Purist was the emblem he was wearing. It was a sew-on patch that was ripped off.

I looked over to Roxanne who smiled back at me. So innocent that was, I just let it go. She took care of it. Should I complain? We got into the car and drove off. About 30 minutes later, we wanted to give each other a rematch, but once we hit the bed, we cuddled and fell asleep together in a fraction of a second. Sex-addicts might disagree, but that was certainly one of the very best nights. If you can be goddamn happy, sleeping with your girl without any intercourse, that's when you know she's the one for you.

PS That brother of Chad, was Rosarius. Who else in my life was an excellent marksman? If you can snipe off a G-Diffuser on a speeding G-Zero racer, then we'll talk.

-_**Ryan**_

* * *

**Prologue 2: ****Roxanne**

Now unlike my boyfriend who likes to keep stuff a little secretive for his amusement, I'm more open about my name. No offense to him. Let me talk you through my experience, my side of the story.

What Ryan said about his paranoia and my buddy, was all true. Doctor Lightheart is a very friendly man and became a good friend over time. Maybe I was a little overexcited when I talked about him, but I never meant for Ryan to feel left out. Let alone feeling left out in love. My love for him.

Doctor Lightheart was and still is a genius when it came to Aparoidedation. I kept checking on my infection, the possibility of additional symptoms. Every day that was. It sometimes felt like a visit to the psychiatrist. Our outdoor activities varied from a stroll in the park on a sunny day to having lunch once in a while. The more I now think about it now, the more sympathy I gain for Ryan.

But enough about him. Let me tell you what happened to me after the G-Zero competition. Because of my public appearance that was broadcasted all across Lylat, more infected came out for their disease. Many weren't as lucky as I was with Big Daddy and Ryan. Those were always living in dark basements or worse: in a gutter.

For them, I became the Martin Luther King of Aparoid-victims. I surely don't wanna compare myself to a man of that caliber. His battle was a lot more severe than the one I fought. Because the day after we all united, the Lylatian Board recognized us as normal civilians very fast. Only a few days later, the Aparoid Rights were passed and stated we were declared as Lylatian citizens. Our only difference with other citizens was that we were diagnosed with a terminal disease. I was very glad with that along with the rest. A citizen instead of, and don't get shocked now, "enemy of the state"!

In the end, I can't blame them. They really thought we were Aparoids. With the devastation those things caused, it is still engraved in many people's minds.

Because of these Aparoid Rights, we all decided to get a new name. We are going through life as **Aparite's**. Get it? Aparoid… Rights? Aparite's? Everyone of us was described as a beacon of light carrying each right individually. But we were mostly called "regular" to our pleasure.

The only thing I would dare to compare to King's battle, was that there was opposition. Of course you gotta have racism. The world wouldn't be complete without it. There are two organizations at the moment and they emerged the very moment the Aparoid Rights were passed.

The League Against Aparoids. The LAA. Very self-explanatory. But then you have the Purists. These guys were the KKK for us. They even held a march in Corneria City once. It was brutally answered with police violence but it was a clear signal for us. Unlike the KKK, they tend to keep a low profile instead of running around in ridiculous white hats and robes.

All they wear is a sew-on patch. The government is having a headhunt on the leaders of it and with success. The original founders were trailed and imprisoned for at least ten years. But they still exist.

And that's where my story kicks in. I was driving to pick up Ryan. I left way too early so even with an obstruction, I would still be there 30 minutes too early. I combed my hair over my right eye just because my Ryan loved that. I looked in the rear view-mirror, picking out little chunks of mascara that ruined that perfect look.

Apparently there was a local power failure as no street lights were on. And up ahead I saw why: the road was blocked thanks to a car accident causing one car to ram into the local power outlet. Since this was a one-way traffic road, I had no other choice then to park the car on the sidewalk and do the rest on foot. The sidewalk wasn't closed down.

The only thing, rather one, that was blocking it, was a Papetoonian Police officer. I tapped on his shoulder, asking what is going on. When he turned around, I could read the disgust from his face once he saw me. He didn't even think that a voice like mine would match with something looking like me.

'Well it is simply…. oh GO… I mean, it's simply a car accident ma'am.' answered the police officer reluctant. It was strange because all of the Papetoonian Police never had any problem with my appearance. Because I was Ryan's girl, I had many friendships within it. I didn't know this guy but he sure knew me.

'That's horrible.' I answered, leaving that whole "Oh GOD!" thing that he swallowed behind for a while. 'How did it happen?'

The officer was kind enough of to explain that. But he did it in such a degrading tone. As if I was an infant who just learned to walk. Some idiot was a little drunk and decided to ride the opposite direction without his headlights on. The other driver saw the car coming and evaded the oncoming car. Only to hit the power outlet. The drunk driver tried to evade the other as well and turned left and smashed right into a tree before recoiling back on the road.

'The road is blocked off for cars. But the sidewalk is still accessible for normal citizens.' stated the officer mostly turned towards the accident. I should have known what he was when he implied "normal" before citizens. In his eyes, I was an Aparoid, not a citizen. So when I tried to pass, he stopped me.

'Hey ho-ho-ho! Where is that going?'

'Just continuing my way officer. You know? Like a regular citizen.' I answered obvious.

The officer got a grin on his face. I'd just proven this a-hole's point: 'You aren't a regular citizen. You're an Aparite. A filthy Aparoid hybrid that should return to the shadows where it belongs. Along with all those others.'

When I observed him a little better, I saw the sew-on patch on his sleeve. He continued rambling about how Aparite's aren't real people. How he as the moralist of Lylat hasn't forgotten the tragedy the Aparoids have caused. All those innocents. I tried talking some sense into him by saying that we **are **those victims.

I don't what I was thinking. I was just fueling that brainless idiot. He continued by saying we weren't victims, rather Aparoids in disguise. Waiting for the right moment to strike and try to take over Lylat once again.

'I got it all figured out. So no, you're not allowed to pass.' he ended his rambling. I could swear that I saw brain cells, too ashamed to have ever been a part of his low IQ, leave in search for more intelligent life forms. 'Unless…' he suddenly brought up. '… you admit that Aparoidedation is a sin and not a handicap or disease as so many fools like you treat it.'

Did I had to give up everything I stood for? What I' am!? 'Absolutely not!' I proclaimed, hoping to draw attention. But I was the only one on this lonely night. The other cops on the other side of the site couldn't hear me.

'Then I can't let you through. Now piss off before I arrest you for wasting my time.' he said with a threatening tone. I had to get to Ryan. And no Purist was gonna stop me in that.

Like I previously mentioned, the government was actively picking out those Purists. The PPPD cooperating fully. From reporting cases to even extraditing those to the Lylatian Court of Interstellar Justice. They installed a new camera-system all over Papetoon City in order to spot those guys. And they actually do nothing more than that. It's not something the government uses to spy on our everyday lives like so many before. But it wasn't fully functional yet.

I decided to make a call to the new Chief Commissioner of the PDDD: no one other than **Chandler **himself. He and the other loyal OP members of Ryan's previous squads worked their way up the social ladder. Some of them got detective with the PDDD, others went into politics. Hence the quick passing of the Aparoid Rights.

Once I had him on the line, I approached that Purist and told him that there was someone that wanted to speak to him about his racist remarks over Aparite's. He told very loud and clear that he didn't want anything to do with Aparite's and certainly not someone I called.

'I warned you already…' He reached for a stun gun on his belt. '… Aparite's aren't allowed to pass unless you confess to being a walking sin and an abomination.'

'Did you hear that Chandler?'

It was silent for a while on the other side. I could already imagine Chandler's angered look. The Purist's face went from proud to white as a sheet. BUSTED!

I put the phone on speaker and that unleashed Chandler's fury. With a push of a button, the installed system was activated. All camera's in the area focused on the Purist, almost pissing his pants.

'Finally!' exclaims Chandler. 'Finally we got the last rotten apple in our quadrant. I heard it all and you're toast pal. TOAST! Let this good woman, this normal citizen, pass so she can go on her way and I'll make sure that you'll face trail not lead by a Aparite judge. Over the jury, I can't speak.'

I turned off the speaker function and held the phone back on my ear. 'Hey Chandler?' I asked very sugared.

'Go ahead beauty.' Beauty was his word for me. Beautiful was already taken by Ryan so he picked this.

'I was very insulted by the mean man over there.' I used my schoolgirl voice to make to go good and proper. 'Can you close an eye for a moment?'

He laughed, knowing that I was gonna kick the shit out of him. With a subtle tap on the joystick to the right, the camera turned away. 'You got a clear shot!' I heard over the phone.

Without any delay, I swung my tail at that motherfucker. If feels good to see that word when describing that moment. I slammed right in the stomach, making him collapse. He sat on his knees, gasping for air. He looked up and saw that I wasn't done yet. I was preparing to give him the biggest slap I've ever given anyone.

And there I went! My paw still hurts from it but that guy couldn't stand up anymore without losing his dignity. If he had any to begin with. His cheek was fire red and looked like it could use some serious medical attention. I didn't do it with my uninfected paw. No, that would be too normal. I slapped with my Aparoid claw. So it wasn't only shame and pain, but also being slapped down by an Aparite.

'Okay Chandler. You can look again.'

Chandler turned the camera back and acted surprised. On purpose, he's doing it so horrible.

'Oh no. What do I see here? I see a police officer down the ground with a perfectly normal female Aparite standing by to help him.' He turns on the microphone function of the camera system. 'No worries miss. Help is already being sent for him. You may now go to your intended place of interest.' He switches it off and comes back on the phone. 'Go and get Ryan. He's waiting for you.'

'Thank you Chandler. Anything else I should tell him?'

Chandler reached for a drawer at his desk and grabbed Ryan's file. He opened it and grabs a red inked stamp. "Re-evaluated" was stamped on his dossier. With pride, he holds it up in front of his face.

'Yeah. Tell him he can get his old job back. I pulled some strings here and there.'

'He'll be delighted to hear that. Bye Chandler.'

'See you soon beauty.'

I stepped over the moaning Purist and resumed my way. I was this close to the prison entrance when I saw Ryan come out of that tunnel. I hid in the shadows, waiting to surprise him. When he took off his shirt… some sexual predator in me awoke. It was on instinct that I grabbed him. Everything turned out right in the end.

After that cuddling night, I gave him Chandler's good news. From there on, our new life started. Together. I don't know exactly if he fully adapted to society's demands. But I had complete confidence in him. He got his favorite job back and under the leadership of Chandler... what could possibly go wrong?

I absolutely loved this society. Finally... after years of neglect and discrimination, Aparite's can finally be seen as normal citizens. All we ever wanted and what we got. I can ramble about how great it is but I'll let you go to the story from there on...

Promising begin huh? Thank you for reading my OC-centered story. Favorite, Follow... ah you know the drill. See you guys at the next chapter!


	2. The perfect ring

The story continues with Ryan Steller.  


* * *

**Chapter 1: The perfect ring**

About a month later, I was fully integrated into the reality society provides. I never was disconnected from it but coming back is still a process. Getting used to everything took about a week. Once that was done, I resumed my SWAT duty. I said goodbye to that job at Garfunkel's and become a wage slave for the PPPD where I was a volunteer at first. Not that I was welcome there anyway; Garfunkel didn't take my imprisonment lightly and fired me on the spot.

Wage slave was a little overboard but I couldn't find anything better to describe. My new workplace was mostly behind the desk and in line before the commander. Chandler did what he could but I didn't came back as Second Lieutenant. Some else took that position, meaning that I had to suck up orders instead of barking them at others. It was tiresome in the beginning and it still does. Not only will I never be able to reach that rank because of my forever lasting rap sheet, I can't even rise from my current position where I am now, which is Sergeant for curious eyes and ears. It feels more like an insult to my capabilities. Also, OP's didn't exist anymore. How it's arranged now, remains a total mystery for me. It's like a setup at a soccer-match: only the players themselves know what those scrambled-egg-mess of arrows mean.

But I shouldn't complain too much. Even though I make less money, I can still keep our apartment. It was Roxanne's apartment but I quickly moved in. Didn't had much stuff anyway. I couldn't believe how easy it was to keep up with the rent. The apartment is really roomy for such a low price tag. I never searched anything behind it. I trusted Roxanne and her landlord.

Speaking about money, the moment my shift ended, I was called to Chandler's office. It was around 17:34 if I recall correctly. Hmmm... yeah, around that time indeed. I passed by a colleague who was hastily working on a recent kidnapping. That's off my to-do list for sure. The only good thing that ever came from such encounters was that I met Roxanne.

I just laughed it off as I knocked on Chandler's door. He called me in.

'Ryan! Come in.' he greeted enthusiastic from behind his desk. We was messing around with some papers that he seemingly just organized the moment I turned the door knob. His desk was fairly empty. Aside from a computer and a few pencils. 'Wonderin' why you're here?' he asked as he put the stack of papers in a drawer on the lower left side of the desk.

'Pretty much. What's up?' I grabbed the back-end of the chair facing the other side of the desk. Just to sit down, making this a nice conversation.

'Oh no.' dismissed Chandler as soon as he saw that happening. 'That wouldn't be necessary. I just gotta...' He was having trouble getting someone thing else out that same drawer. '... oh for the love of Christ! Gotcha!'

He lifted an envelope out of the drawer and gently threw it towards my side of the desk. It opened slightly and I could see banknotes in sticking out. 'All I called you here for.' said Chandler bend over his side the desk, still seated. 'Enjoy your salary Ryan. You deserved it.'

I grabbed the envelope. It was light in weight, but what was inside would be pretty heavy if it were all in nickels. 'Seriously? My salary in cash?' I asked with a raised eyebrow. It was not really minding it but just to question the concept in general. Normally this goes over bank-transaction but Chandler liked doing things differently. It was his way of contributing to the PPPD. He was idealistic enough for it.

It was his idea to install the PNW, the Papetoonian Neighborhood Watch. That is the camera system that was turned on at 4:23 and spotted the final turd in the punchbowl, or else know as the Police Purist that was harassing Roxanne. It was also his idea to get rid of the OP system. Simply because it was stained by the filth that is Eugene. Aka? HQ himself! Even though he's locked up behind security tighter than a nun's asshole, his sludge sticks on everything.

Chandler himself reacted by shrugging indefinite and leaned back in his chair with a smug smile on his face as he saw my raised eyebrow. 'You know me Ryan. This is the new me. Take it or leave it.'

The attitude he upheld then was gained thanks to his promotion. I was glad he wasn't someone lap-dog anymore. I enjoyed the admiration for as long as he could provide. So what did I do? I took the moment and I left him with it. That wasn't the meaning of his statement; I ruined that for him. I could hear him calling me a **Jackoff** with a laughing intonation. With a smile on my face, leaving Chandler behind slightly unfulfilled, I took a peek in that envelop.

*2... 4... 8? 15! Hell yeah!*

**See ya Ryan!** I suddenly heard breaking my counting. The "see ya" caught me off guard. I was more interested in the roughly 1700 Cornerian Francs in that envelop. I miscounted two as only bill.

'Yeah yeah. Sure sure.' I replied with zero interest as I walked past their offices.

Moans of complain were caught by my ears. **Why is he like this** that. **Why doesn't he do** this. I simply lifted my salary in the air. Suddenly those moans changed in function; now it was jealousy instead of being left out. If I got a penny for every time I was called something that parents wouldn't wanna let their children listen to at a young age, it would double my present salary. Lifting my middle finger in the air did help with that.

It was all shits an giggles between colleagues. No hate, no feud and no true jealousy. Everyone was an asshole to one another from time to time. I was no exception. How close we were, came to light at the monthly barbecues we held.

I entered the locker-room at the right side of the entrance counter. Said hello to the guy behind it who barely reacted. I opened my locker with designated key and stored my stuff along with other stuff. Stuff that you might remember me carrying around. My MP5, Chase's AR-15 Bushmaster, the baton which was more of a nightstick, the whole outfit with helmet + riot visor, a lot of other stuff like my jacket and of course: my Deadeye knife. That thing just never dies. Even that massive firestorm didn't kill it. Only the handle melted away. With the original blade recovered and put back in its place, it was still that same knife.

Looking at it, holding it in a clutched fist, so many dubious thoughts came mind. On one hand, you have all those horrible events with Termite. On the other, the fact that I'm still alive because of that little bastard and that without I would have never met Roxanne, Fox, Krystal, Big Daddy, Falco, Chase and load of others.

My logo, that I seemingly had, was engraved on the blade near the handle. It was an "O" with a "X" sliced right in the middle. DEADEYE! Simple but effective. A neat artistic gift from Roxanne who started spending more in the artistic quadrant. More power to her.

This was one of her "earlier" work. I guess it was made three days after my release. Right when I got that blade as present from her. In front of my eyes, as she snatched out of my paws, she made it. An artist was born. Weeks later, she applied to the Papetoonian School of Art for both music and visual arts to become Bachelor of Fine Arts for both. Ever since she made my Deadeye, she went from kiddy quality to semi-pro in no time! But this one remains her most beloved work. She carved that with her finger-claw. The one I "approved" when she showed her first additions during the first visit.

I kept my baton on the belt and clipped the Deadeye knife along with it. I bought the baton so it was mine to keep and carry around. I just loved and still do, that feeling of it acting as a splint and shield for my arm.

I put on my jacket as I exited the station. The numbed down late afternoon light of Lylat shined on my face. It was pretty chilly outside. It was getting autumn soon, you could feel that. I got into my two-seater car, which was actually Roxanne's car and drove off. I laid the envelope on the passenger seat and tapped on it a few times. Like a proud father.

As I drove away, I could almost smell the deep-frozen pizza coming out of the oven. Melted cheese, tomato sauce, spring onions, mushrooms and bacon. I already had to keep myself from drooling my mucous membranes dry. It was that day of the week; the day where I got off already from duty and could snuggle with Roxanne on the couch. Where we remained for the remainder of the day. Doing nothing more than eating pizza and staring at the TV until our eyes became as rectangle as the TV itself. "Lazybones day" I dubbed it. But Roxanne figured that wasn't right. Even though she couldn't find something better, she said that Lazybones day was already taken.

'Because everyday is Lazybones day for you mister Steller.' she answered to my question why. I just shrugged as she went to the kitchen, only chuckling.

With that in the back of my head, why was I so glad that I finally got my salary? In cash nonetheless? Not because I was in debt or behind the rent. No... today was a special day. It was our 10-year anniversary. Today it was ten years ago since I met her. From a cringing young woman of about 16, clutching her violin in a dark corner of Big Daddy's basement, to the super proud Aparite of 26 able to stand upright in a society that still sees her as something different. In light of that celebration combined with the fact that it's on between us for about one-and-a-half year, I decided to buy something special: a wedding ring.

After all she did for me, I decided to return the favor; big time. What better way to get married with the one you miss by your side every second when you're away? But of course, I can't just pick a ring and think the whole thing is licked. So I drove further into the city, searching for the best Papetoon City could offer: Sara's Gold and Silver. At first, she was located at the Zoness Orbital Ring, but after an incident with a rogue organization almost destroying it, she settled here.

As I rode through town, I decided to turn my MP3 into a stereo thanks to the Bluetooth speaker **I** for one had installed. Roxanne hasn't been the only one that has been busy, artistically speaking. Music, as you may know already, is very important to me. Especially metal. And when I found out that some of my friends had similar interests, we formed a band.

We only had a few songs and not even a name. The songs were titled _**Away (Crystal)**_and _**Bullets Pouring down like Rain**_ or _**BPR**_ for short. We were working on something that included a drum solo instead of a guitar solo called _**War Drums**_ but that's still in prototype phase.

The style is mostly metalcore with heavy hints of trash in _**BPR**_. I'm the vocalist with Falco ego-trippingly on the double neck guitar, Chase going nuts on the drums and Ché easy on the rhythm.

Hearing your own voice over a speaker was a strange feeling. Sometimes it didn't even sound like me. But it was worthwhile as traffic lights in the city's center are a pain in the neck. As I mowed my way through, I saw glimpses of the mixed population in Papetoon City. I saw Aparite's walking amongst the unaffected anthro's perfectly fine. Being equal in person.

It's a great thing to see that Roxanne's effort is paying off. A great example was about a few days ago. A homeless Aparite on the sidewalk was bothered by members of the LAA. His stuff kicked away or plainly destroyed right in front of his eyes. It was a male Aparite in his early 60's. His left leg was so severely affected, he couldn't stand without crotches. Guess who kicked them away...

On the other side of the street, across the street, I saw people crowding. Speaking bad things about those LAA guys. Some even contacted the police. Only seconds later, I heard people call the LAA members out for _Cowards_ and _Cruds_. Just to pick out the lighter variants.

I didn't need to take action: a small group of thug-looking individuals came up to those LAA punks, who ran away dumping themselves in their pants like no tomorrow. The police arrived only three minutes later. The individuals were thanked for their civic duty by both the arrived police and the homeless man himself. Justice was served.

When I finally arrived at the jewelry, it was 15 minutes later. The two songs we had ended 8 minutes ago and since the other was nothing more than a quick demo, I just turned on the regular radio. I opened the glove compartment only to grab a mint from an open package. My mom hammered on me having a pleasant and minty fresh breath when I was young. It became a habit soon enough. I unplugged my MP3 and got out of the car. The temperature must have dropped a little as a chill ran from my neck to my back almost immediately. I flipped up my collar to cover my neck before approaching the store.

I opened the door of the jewelry and a small bell chimed. I turned to the thrash can that was directly on my right. Without any effort, I spewed the gum out. It give a metallic TINK once it hit the edge and dropped down in it. I walked up to the counter as no one seemed to be around. I laid my leaning arm, my left, on the counter that was transparent. It displayed all sorts of rings in different prize classes. As I waited for a few seconds, I started to drum my fingers in impatience. I sighed deep without any good reason to sigh at all.

'I'm coming! I'm coming!' I heard a female voice yell at me from behind. With her back towards me, she opened the swing door that was as thin as a sheet yet sturdy as concrete looking. She turned around and I saw she was carefully holding two earring pendants. As if they were drying. Her expression reads of immense strain. She carefully puts them in a drawer. Once it's closed, that tightened look fell into a deep sigh. She too started hanging on her leaning arm. It reminded me of that time I had to attend Krystal when I was struggling with a broken and heavy-ass engine.

She turned her panting face to me. 'So cutey. What's your business?' was her greet towards me with her left arm in her side. It was an older, yellowish-orange vixen with furious styled blond hair and white stripes running down from her head to her sides. I could see it because of her short grey-green shirt. I didn't look any further down. That would be pervy. Not that she wasn't handsome or something. She spoke with a very soothing voice; a showgirl accent and that hair made her look like a bimbette knowing exactly what she's supposed to do. "A MILF a day keeps the doctor away" was a quote from Rosarius, that sick sarcastic nutshell. But in this case... point given.

'I'm looking for a ring. A very special one.' I uttered more than saying it. She must have had experience with guys hopped up on hormones before because she just laughed.

'What prize class is your "special"?' she inquired.

Smug, I threw the envelope on the counter. 'Whatever's in there.'

Pretty curious, she opened it keeping one eye on me. She too saw the numerous 200-Franc bills. Alrighty then. It seems that she's a lucky gurl huh?'

'Well... I'm more the lucky guy here.' I said humble. She sniggered.

'Not too shabby eh?' She opened the glass casing from her side. She grabbed all the rings in their collective holder and placed it on the counter before me. Prizes varied from 1600 to 2200. With my budget, only three rings were plucked that I was unable to get because of the budget. It didn't matter to me; I already had my eyes on "the one".

'This is all the expensive beauties I can offer you for that budget.' she stated. 'Or do you want to go lower?'

A simple test. 'Of course not. That would mean I'm a bad guy and I promise you that I'm not.' I assured her. But she took it with a grain of salt.

'Sure you are…' she said as if she knew me, looking at me with slightly squinted eyes. Something in my crotch jumped because of that. I shrug it off without literally shrugging it off and went straight for the rings. But wherever I looked, I couldn't keep my eyes off her. The one…

You really thought I went for Sara there did you? I was talking about the ring you perverts! My eye constantly fell upon a silver ring. It had a pallid pearl with a dark purple, almost black smearing on it. It was the perfect representation for Roxanne! A pure and innocent soul tainted by her Aparoidedation and still able to come off as the most unique and gorgeous of them all. And for only 1650 Francs! It couldn't be more perfect.

'Have you made your choice yet?' I heard her inquiring somewhere in the echo in a corner of the back of my head. I looked up for only a second before returning to that ring. I carefully grabbed it by the ring part itself and brought it closer to my eye.

'Yeah… this is the one.' I said more to myself than to Sara. While I was in complete tunnel vision, only focusing on the ring, I didn't see or hear Sara switch the prize tags. She apparently apologized for her own stupidity.

'Sorry cuteypie. I switched things up. That ring…' She pointed at the one that I was holding in between my thumbs and index finger. '…is 2200 Francs.'

My whole world collapsed around me. That was 500 more than my monthly salary! I just had to have this one. I couldn't take no for an answer.

'No no… I-I need this one.' I proclaimed sedated. But Sara took it out of my motionless paw and put it back in. She couldn't do anything else. I was starting to get desperate. It wouldn't be long until Roxanne would call, asking where I' am now. I can't lie to her!

Then an idea shot through my head. It was there all of sudden. Like a robot, I reached for my pocket with a rigid expression on my face. Very bent on getting that ring. Out of my pocket, I lifted the key to my locker. Whatever was still in there… PAH! If it meant that I could have that ring if I would set them on fire, I would already start dozing it in gasoline.

I slammed the key on the counter, startling Sara a little. 'I need that ring.' I repeated myself with a more serious expression on my face and upped voice. I wasn't the only one admiring my determination; Sara could appreciate that as well. Multiple bad relationships maybe?

'And that key helps… because?'

'This key opens my locker in the PPPD station at the other edge of the city. Whatever is in there, is worth at least 500. Here, let me give you a…' I grabbed my smart phone with a device attached to the back. It was a small printer for tickets but also for receipts. I printed a receipts that gave her permission to get to my locker. Because technology! '…receipt that allows you on showing it to the guy behind the counter at the entrance to look through my locker. I beg of you Sara; could you do that?'

Sara took the receipt for my handing paws and picked up the key in the other paw. She looked at the two with a thinking expression. 'Hmmmm.' she hummed while still pondering. Anxiety almost got the better of me before she finally cut through her pondering. She looked at the clock and sighed.

'Alright then.' she submitted with a small smile on her face. 'I'll take the key and see what I can sell.'

I barely held my excitement. I sighed deep, keeping it down as best as I could. 'Whew… thanks Sara. It means a lot to me.'

'Ah well. It's almost time for a break anyway. I'll see you back here in say…' She turned her head to the clock on the wall. '…19:00? How does that sound?'

'Sounds perfect.' I got the shivers thanks to the ever-growing excitement. I'm still getting my girl the perfect ring without me having to undress myself. That's also a positive thing. 'See you then.'

I exited the jewelry almost jumping a hole in the sky. I got back in my car whilst I saw the more moody getting evening Lylat very slowly disappear beneath the horizon. I checked my phone to see if Roxanne made any attempt to contact me. Usually she would have called a million times at this point in time. Bu nothing was displayed.

'Hm. Zero. Strange… but it's Roxanne so so what? Heh heh.' I sniggered as I put my smart phone back in my pocket. I gripped the steering wheel and stuck the key in the ignition. 'That's one of the things to make her even more special.'

I resettled the rear-view mirror and winked at myself. 'Hey there handsome.' I could use some self-love after all that I've given to others. I turned on the engine and zoomed away towards my lovely apartment. The road seemed a little longer than usual and the freeway emptier. It could also have been that I was less fixed on the road ahead of me and more into what I would say to Roxanne.

I find it hard to lie but when I do, I'm pretty pro at it. But I've never lied to Roxanne. Not one single time and this were to become the first time? Hopefully not. I hit the exit leading to our neighborhood. It was a straight road going directly to its intended target. I entered our street, where the 8-story high apartment complex hauled a gloomy shadow over me. But I wasn't scared; it's more like some protective rather than something threatening.

Our complex was the only high building in this area. The rest were terraced houses or otherwise insignificant when compared to the might and height for our complex' appearance. The neighborhood for the remainder was a very quiet one when compared to others around us. Our edge city contained four in total, with ours to the middle. And then we are the most quiet. Kind of strange in my eyes but again, one of the things I didn't mind that much.

I picked my front door key and opened the door leading to the stairwell. The elevator was busted for a week now and needed mechanical attention immediately. But that wasn't possible for some dumb reason. So I was stuck to using to stairs.

Now to be completely clean and fair, our apartment was only on the second floor but I can complain over whatever I want now can't I? Free mind, free world. I got to our floor where our door was visible instantly. You could easily separate them from the others because there were very dusk, moss-green vases on each side. We really needed to fill them up with something but the flowers we both wanted died out when the summer came to an end.

I opened to the door and turned off the set alarm. The smell of pizza wasn't in the air. I seemed Beautiful wasn't home yet. All the better for me; I kicked my loafers off and hung my jacket in the wardrobe, not even caring if it was hooked or not. Through the hallway that was not longer than a meter, I entered a room that looked like Oklahoma without the jittery bottom. The kitchen was in the small part jutting out. I entered that first for a drink and while I was walking by, I turned on my answering machine.

Yeah, I still have one of those. I opened the fridge and grabbed a 1,5 liter bottle of Coke. While I set the whole bottle to my lips, I heard the voice of the answering machine preach that there was only one message.

*Lemme guess…*

My hunch was right; it was Chase. Ever since the concept of **War Drums** has been introduced to him, he just won't shut his trap about it. If we could practice tonight. But I had other plans. I put the Coke away after draining it of half its life and shut the fridge. Just before I shut the answering machine up.

'You have… 0 new messages.' I heard from that thing. I went back into the kitchen for something a little more important. Of course to say hello to my buddy Randy.

Randy was Roxanne's Venus Flytrap that fell off her shoulder during the second and last corrupt court case at the time I was arrested. From that moment on, he has been kept in a vase by the small, rectangle kitchen window, enjoying the sunshine. It was also the first time we learned of its gender. Don't ask, don't tell. Roxanne found it out using her Aparoid language.

It puzzled me how she was able to master it so easily. One month and BAM! I guess her vocals chords are fit for it. This language is a combination of 0's and 1's with bug buzz. Very complicated. The 0's and 1's are easy to translate with a computer but the buzz is something else.

I only managed to pick up a few swearwords and that's really all. For example, I can say "Go to Hell" without any problem. Oh yeah, and of course the usual "Hello." "Goodbye." Kinda stuff.

So I said that to the little purple-metallic booger as I caressed his head. Like Roxanne, it could purr. Very strange and then again appealing. I fed him a dead blue-bottle from a closed jar. Fucking useless things of nature finally have a purpose instead sounding like an attack chopper when flying by my head.

'Enjoy it little buddy.'

I turned around and got to me next priority: the couch! I rushed towards it and fell into my butt-print on the couch-cushion. Did that explanation still have a purpose nah? As the print begins to envelop my bottom, I kicked my feet upon the salon table in front of me and reached for the remote. I still had a half hour before I had to go to Sara. I pointed it at our TV. A pretty big one to be very detail-ish. Above the TV, there was a portrait displaying me and Roxanne together. It was Roxanne's latest creation.

But the damned thing didn't work. 'Why is this?' I inquired as I slapped that thing on the battery pack a couple of times. It refused stubborn. I kept pressing every button.

'Oh come on!' I moaned. 'Not this bullscheiβ again.'

I looked all over the remote until I found a thick paper taped on the front that was blocking the signal. 'Are you kidding me?' I sighed very irritated. This was a really bland joke, whoever did that. The only thing missing was a trollface with the word: 'Problem?'

But something else was displayed on it. It said: 'To my lazybones Ryan…'

Yes. It seemed that I got a nickname too. I ripped the paper off and threw the remote in a remote corner on the couch. I opened it and saw that it was indeed a note from Roxanne.

_To my lazybones Ryan…_

_I already figured that the remote was the first thing you would go for once you got home  
Of course no problems. ;)  
In celebration of our 10-year anniversary, I have special surprise for you.  
Come to this address around 9PM. Don't ask how or why, just be there._

_XXX- Roxanne (your Beautiful)_

_2486 Isherwood Avenue  
Papetoon City, Libera_

A kiss made up from a print of her thin black lipstick was made in the lower right corner. A quick scent of it flew by my nose.

*Oooh… how much she does for me. I almost feel like a liability.*

I softly laid the paper on the salon table and resumed by turning on the TV. I sank a little further into the couch until I sank too far in my own thoughts to even care what happened on TV. About 25 minutes went by like it was nothing more than a breeze.

I imagined myself looking like a gelatin that collapsed into itself after it melted. That's how relaxed/sunken I was. I popped out of my state of slumber and turned off the TV. I snatched the note from the table and walked out the door. To collect my ring and to see what Roxanne has for me.

* * *

Thanks for reading this chapter. It's all build up leading to something bigger. Don't think it's just a romance story. 

-Phantom R.D.S. Foxx


	3. Killing time

Thanks for all the support on G-Zero. 8000+ views, 10 favorites and 15 followers. I couldn't be happier. So here is another exception on my hiatus:  


**Chapter 2: Killing time  
**

The LCD-clock close to the speedometer read 18:51 as I drove over the highway back to where I came from. Sara's Gold and Silver was waiting for me with the hopefully good news that everything that was in my locker was sold. I had no care for those things although I would mind if I had to sell anything that was on my belt right now. The knife especially.

The star Lylat has sunken only an inch beneath the horizon, if it's not less. The light was more direct this time. Its gloomy gleam plastered itself on my face when the clouds allowed it to by flying away. I scolded at fate, religion and superstition before getting my sunglasses out of the glove compartment to stop my own complaining before I went crazy thanks to my own relentless rambling.

With no more reason to complain, I went on ahead. It seemed that in Papetoon City there was no way of not using the freeway for anything. It's not bad actually: down and midtown aren't cramped up with traffic every moment of the day. It makes Papetoon City quite the extraordinary city. I took exit 23 and immediately recognized where I got on a mere 50 minutes ago.

Sara's was only a few 100 meters away and the clock read 18:55. I was right on time. I parked in the same spot I did before. Like I said, the absence of too much traffic is a real bless. I turned off the car and got out. Not surprising was that it felt even colder in the shadow of the building than outside of it. I estimate it was about 13 degrees Celsius. For me, that's freezing.

As an anthropomorphic cheetah, I can't take the cold easily. When it's nighttime, it's perfectly fine. I'll be lying in bed with Roxanne or just chilling on the couch with the heater on. But at this place and hour it should be illegal for weather to be this cold. Impossible... but it should be!

I took my sunglasses off, quickly zipped up my coat and flipped my neck collar back up. I stuck my paws in my pockets and walked towards the entrance. A small sign said that the store was still closed because of a lunch break.

'Strange usage of the word "lunch" at this hour.' I said to myself quasi-interested. Just as I walked up to the jewelry's doorstep, I saw Sara already coming towards the door. She flipped the sign and got rid of the "lunch" part by throwing it on the floor.

'The heat is on here.' she said with a smile letting my frostbitten ass in. I wanted to compliment her on her resourcefulness of finding the correct terms to mock me but I was already too asphyxiated with the warmth that the inside of the jewelry had to offer. I took of my coat and got my face out of my collar. Sara walked towards the counter as I watched her go. I had to bite my lower lip seeing that ass wiggle with every step she took.

I reminded me of Roxanne after her first visit. The only thing missing… was… that… slap on her own ass. I kind of hoped that it would come but there was no way in hell she would do that other than the imagined version of her. I upheld the latter of course.

I snapped out of my dirty area and approached the counter. Sara had already laid out the money she collected from selling my stuff to a local pawn shop I presumed. It was at least 700 Francs that were spread out like cards on the play board.

'I see you sold the stuff huh?' I implied sniffing like a meth addict, using the term stuff and the added sniffing to make it sound like a drug deal. She appreciated my sense of humor by replying with 'Yeah I did. Why sugar? You miss yours? Am I not good enough for ya?'

She really did a convincing job at sounding like a seductive and manipulative mistress. We looked at each other with acted faces before we both let it go. There was this instant chemistry between us, from the first glance on. We both knew that we were gonna become very good friends. Any further would be overboard but I don't think she wanted that.

'But yeah I did sell all your stuff. You'd think that your imported quality might have been worth more.'

I don't know what went through my brain at that point, but I went a little on the defensive. 'Hehe… if you never tried it…' I quickly realized the stupidity of my comment and went to business. 'But uh… erhum. How much did you catch for it?'

'Hmmm… about 715. The guy down at the pawn shop said though these weapons were rare, there wasn't a huge market for them. But now you have enough to buy your gurl the ring.' she said turning to the positive. 'Or did you change your mind and did I do all this for zilch?'

*Fancy wordchoice.* 'No. I still want that ring.'

She nodded and grabbed from the display window. 'In a box?' she verified. I nodded of course. 'I'll be right back.'

She turned around, wagging her finger around as if she had to remember where she put it. Not even 20 seconds in and she came back with a small chest in wood grain finish, making it look authentic and very classy.

'I think this is fitting.' she proclaimed by herself as she put the box on the counter before so that I could form my opinion over it. I opened the chest and saw a dusky purple bottom with metallic cushions. As if it was meant for that ring. In hindsight, that might have been the case but the overall presentation distracted me from thinking rational.

I closed the chest and looked approving at Sara. She took the ring and placed it carefully inside of it. The last I saw of that silver beauty was that it was surrounded by safety and coziness before sitting in darkness until I'd open it in front of Roxanne's hopefully accepting eyes.

I barely held my excitement. I felt you pouncing at Sara and hugging the very air she breathed out of her system.

'Thanks Sara. I owe you a few.' I said very restrained. I even started to sweat a little. I turned around and started to walk towards the exit, carefully holding the chest in my paws.

'Oh no thanks Ryan. Mmbl!' She quickly covered her own mouth to halt her talking. Hearing "Ryan" coming out of her mouth was startling. It broke my earlier excitement in a million pieces. I barely knew her. Even though we had some chemistry, I only knew her name because of jewelry's name. She never seen in her life… or did she?

I turned around, looking at Sara trying to hide the fact that she knew me. 'What did you call me?'

'N-nothing…'

'You called me Ryan. I'm not deaf so I know what I hear. How do you know my name?'

I was just curious but I sounded like giving the poor woman a severe interrogation. That's what police work does with you. I hate when that happens. I get so suspicious and then I get a raised voice and then… no… it didn't became black before my eyes. Once I get into that, stuff really starts to flip.

Sara was having a tough time. She looked so fragile and my fierce voice didn't help in building that up. I think she tried to wish it all away as I came closer in a superior demeanor.

'I-I… I know you from a concert okay?' she barged at me. She snapped, like a suspect. 'Just a regular, trivial concert for starting bands. That's all… okay?'

The tone of her voice let me know that she was on the verge of crying. I had that most powerful feeling, the snapping of a suspect, abused to understand why she knew my name. And why she didn't call me that before.

*I'm such a tool! I made her afraid of my appearance. Well done dipshit! And then she has also seen you LIVE!*

That concert was held only a week ago and it was our first performance on stage. We were known as UNKNOWN. Yes, in Caps. It was held in an abandoned storage with the number 171. Dusty and dark, the perfect environment for us. Only a couple dozen came to look. We didn't make it to the end was we were beaten by guys who were seemingly veterans in this. We ended up third. It drew some decent attention as becoming third with twelve other contestants is a pretty good achievement. And now that I think back at it, I could have sworn to see Sara in the crowd somewhere.

In the meantime, I'd hung my arms crossed upon the counter. I sighed deep and tried to come up with not an excuse, but for ways to make it up to her. 'I'm sorry Sara. I didn't mean to… uhm… to be such an ass.' I apologized when she looked me right in the eye. I tried to convey it as serious as possible, but the shakiness of guilt got in the way of it.

Her frailness made way for the more spruce attitude. She had no tears to dry, only a few sniffs. She shook it off and turned away from me a little. Her eyes followed soon after.

'Yeah… sure.' Her eyes moved back to look at me. 'Maybe I overreacted a little.' she suddenly spoke to my astonishment. She had no need to answer for my timorous behavior.

'No no… I'm the one to blame. I guess excitement over the ring and then suddenly you calling my name…' I withdrew a little. 'Was a buzzkill. Some interruption that I didn't expect. And I can't take that. I'm truly sorry if I hurt your feelings Sara.'

'It's… it's okay Ryan.' she submitted. I guess she just wanted me to leave as fast as possible. It was getting awkward. Personally, I wanted to leave as well. I just took off, knowing that it was the best for the both of us. I can't really remember for what I scolded at myself but I knew that it was worse than what my colleagues spewed at me when I showed them the middle of paw.

'Ryan! Wait…' I suddenly heard behind me. I'd barely opened the door and she already called me back. I turned my head around and saw that Sara had collected the parts that she lost during my raised voice session. She looked a little more rigid. 'I almost something…'

'You don't need to apologize Sara. Really, it's my fault.' I hammered.

'That's not it.' She ducked down and searched for something. I closed the door with a sigh and walked back to the counter.

'This is… what I wanted to give you.' she said as she suddenly grabs my left paw and puts something unseen in it. I opened my paw the moment she let go of it. It was a golden heart-shaped locket with a necklace already hung around it. I clicked it open and I couldn't believe my eyes; it was a picture of Roxanne.

'How the…?' read from my face as I looked up at Sara.

'Well uh… I did a little more than just attend to your live performance. After the gig, I looked you up online. Checked your Facebook, found some pics of you and your gurl Roxanne. A little MS Paint and tadaa.'

She talked it over very easily. But she seemed fine with it, though I could still sense she wasn't completely recovered from my falling-out. I in the meantime was short of words. Stunned because of the gesture.

'B-but… why did you…?'

She shrugged as if it wasn't that important. 'I kinda liked your music and when I uh… uhm… just saw you prepared to give up your belongings to buy your gurl a ring…'

'You got into a few bad relationships, haven't you?'

She cracked a little smile and uttered a grunt that is comparable to a nervous laugh. She lifted a lock of hair away in front of her eyes. 'You have no idea. Douchebags. One by one… you're actually the first man aside from my family that was ever caring for me.'

I found that "caring" was a bit too much but sympathetic certainly. She corrected herself to that and continued by mentioning that she really appreciated what I did for the Aparite community. I didn't quite see how that would connect to everything that happened before but I let her continue.

It seemed that her brother died two years ago. He was an Aparite too. Aparite's back then lived in the shadows and when they had jobs, they were treated like children and almost like slaves. But it seemed that Sara's brother, named Collin, wasn't so unfortunate. He found a job at a local garage in a small village 25 miles from Papetoon City. He hid his Aparoidedation as best as possible and was kept out of plain sight.

Everything went well and extremely smooth. The brother could contribute to the family even with his Aparoid infection. He saw the future for fellow Aparite's very bright. He wished that one day, Aparite's could live among the normality's. Instead of being a rarity. But when the LAA, then named Leauge Against **Aparoids**, found out about it…

The day after they heard it from some filthy tell-tale reported that, they came to pay the garage a visit. They brought along bats, lead pipes and gasoline. The employer was knocked out with a lethal blow to back of his end while he was taking a bite out of his lunch. Collin, the poor guy was beaten and then torched, while still alive.

When Sara found out that Roxanne was my girlfriend, she decided to get me the locket. That and the face that I was that one man.

'My brother would have wanted this.' she ended.

I looked a few seconds at the locket in my paw. Suddenly, this pendant become much more than just a gift. It was some kind of fulfilled death wish. I clenched my fist around it and turned to a Sara that stood strong yet emotional. Her brother's wish had come true, partly because of me.

'Is this…' I came closer towards her, gesturing with my clenched fist. '… why you reacted so fragile at my stupid action a while back?'

'No. That was just because I didn't had a dinner yet. I should have it…' She comes a little closer. '… if I didn't had to collect and sell your stuff mister Steller.' She gives me an awful fist bump against my left shoulder with a villainous one-sided smile on her face. 'That's for your awful behavior.'

'Argh… I deserved that one.' I moaned covering that spot. Soon that will be become black and blue. I exhaled to kill the pain and focus on something else. Sara looked like she wanted something else from me.

'Uh… is there something else?'

'Like I said; I didn't have any dinner yet. And you know, eating microwave macaroni all alone is kind of… well… alone.'

'Y-you want me to join you? By all means but…'

'Only if your gurl doesn't mind of course.'

'She wouldn't mind. Besides, it's just accompanying you.' She laughed at that, leaving me with an unsure impression. 'Right? Sara…? Right?'

I decided to follow her outback. It was a large storage with a bluish grey feel to it. It didn't take me long before Sara called me from her small office. I entered it and found myself into a makeshift home. A fan was attached in the top right corner of the room. A small table with two chairs was right in front of me. If the door wasn't open, I wouldn't be even able to sit down. Her desk took up at least 1/3 of the room. A desktop computer was standing on their while a microwave was a floor higher, separated by nothing more than a wooden bar.

'I hope you didn't mind that I didn't answer your "pleadings".' she snickers. 'I was too busy checking the time on the microwave.'

'Pfff…' *Of course you were.* I didn't appreciate it one bit. I think she was on to the fact that I felt imprisoned between my desire for her and the fact that I'm gonna propose to Roxanne. Sigh… being a man in a triangle isn't easy.

Meanwhile, Sara has grabbed her macaroni out of the microwave, holding it with towel that was lying around. The smell of that Italian delicacy was toxic for my rumbling stomach. I didn't know where Roxanne would take me, but she knows that I get kinda grumpy when I'm hungry. So she always plans ahead.

Sara puts the bowl on her side of the table and starts to shovel the first bite into her mouth with a fork she grabbed from a drawer on her side of the table. She really seemed to enjoy it. Me on the contrary…

'So is there any other reason why you wanted me here?' I inquired. 'Because uhm…' I wagged my finger at the bowl. Sara understood but couldn't reply directly since she had her mouth full.

'Uhm… mmsorrwy Ryan…' She swallowed it down. 'Let's talk about your band.' she suddenly brought up. I was tending the right way…

'Oh. It's like that huh?' I replied a little too cocky even for my own taste. I sat a little more comfortable now that the subject was shifting to my performance. Man… I stroke myself way too much. 'Is this a surprise interview?' I asked jokingly.

But to my astonishment, she actually grabbed a tablet from a closet right behind her. She unlocked the touchscreen and started to type something on the keyboard. 'Now that you're here…' She was trying to make the best of it since I for some reason wasn't allowed to eat. Besides, the macaroni needed to cool down anyway. '… I might as well ask you some questions. If… you can answer them of course.'

I bended over to come a little closer to her. 'Bring it.'

It seemed she was the host of a blog dedicated starting bands in the rock/metal spectrum. She had written a very positive report of that trivial event. Of course, our performance came out at number 1. She began to set up her stuff. A notepad with scribbling's I was unable read upside down for reminder I guess. A smartphone to record my voice for a live podcast I believe. So it began: my first interview as the front man and vocalist of my nameless band.

'Hello everyone following live. Miss Deathshead here with the vocalist and front man of the nameless band that was ranked third at the Mobster Event last week. Ryan?'

She gestured that I was supposed to talk as clear and loud as possible so that the microphone on the smartphone could catch all that. I complied.

'Hello "Miss Deathshead".' I had no idea how to call her. Sara or that nickname? I went for the nickname just be sure. I looked at her to verify if that was what I supposed to say. Her expression gave no answer; so a yes. 'Nice of you to have me here.'

I was kinda nervous though my expression left that to the imagination. The flowing of testosterone through my veins vanquished any kind of awkwardness and made me very vain about myself. I mean I had a fandom of which I had no idea existed.

'So Ryan. First question: why is the band still nameless?'

She immediately threw the hardest question at me. I had to swallow quickly to buy myself a second of extra time. *Why is the band still nameless?* I repeated in my head. I kept the sweat from dripping out of my pores. It was my first interview, of course I was nervous. But I needed to keep my head up.

'Well… that is because I haven't thought about it yet to be honest. Hehehe… But I have a feeling that the name will eventually come to me.'

'Do you think that your band members will comply with the name?'

I shrugged. 'Maybe they do. Maybe they don't.'

I gave an uninterested finish to that sentence. As if I didn't care the slightest bit. I think I forgot that there are people listening to me live. I could already vision them clicking the red cross in the top right corner, thinking that I'm an insensitive a-hole.

'Aha…' said Sara in a manner I was afraid she would say it in. '… let's talk about your band members. How was the band formed?'

That was a much easier question. The band was started only a few weeks ago. I remembered it as if it was yesterday.

'The band was formed under my initiative. After Roxanne Hollister, my girlfriend, stepped into the artistic quadrant, I figured that I could spend my time contributing to culture as well.'

'Why a band then? And an even better question: why metal?'

'Metal has always been a part of me. The music is empowering, giving you a feeling of being indestructible. The lyrics speak of truth and rebellion in everyday life. Love, governments, corruption, pollution… nothing is spared. So a metal band seemed like the obvious choice for me.'

'Who was the first to join the band?'

'The first to join to the band was Ché. I was rambling against myself in a diner because I hired a storage with guitars, drums and all that for a, well, high price tag so to speak. Ché overheard that and he agreed on a proposition to play a few melodies. One thing turned to the other and there it was.' I replied as if it was all that simple. There was a chemistry for sure but the birth of the band wasn't there yet.

'When did Falco and Chase came into the picture?' she says sounding more interested.

'Falco was the second to join the band. Ché and I held open auditions and Falco suddenly came carrying a double-neck. Ché and I were like: "What the #$!?" But when he started playing, we knew we had the right guy. And Chase...'

I took a small break to form my words correctly. Honestly, I think Chase is a little all over the place. Wanting the merge in everything and change what is already put together. But I didn't wanna sound like a huge dick saying that over a podcast.

'... all we missed was a drummer. We needed someone to guide the songs to perfection and someone who could keep up with the written trash metal melodies. Someone who likes to trash about...'

'So Chase came to mind immediately?' finished Sara for me.

'My words exactly...' I wanted to continue but suddenly my smartphone started to rumble. *Oh shit! Not now! Not during this!*

I gestured to Sara that something was wrong and she dimmed the volume, excusing it as a technical difficulty. She signaled that no one could hear what the problem was but I was already on the phone. It was an unknown number but I took it anyway.

There was nothing more than loud static on the other side. The caller must be in a tunnel or something. I was going to hang up as it lasted for more than five seconds, but then I heard someone speak through the static.

'R...h...p...Ry...an...he...m...pl...se...they...r me...'

That was all I heard before being fully taking over by the static again. I hung up and put the phone back in my pocket. I was irritated that another random person knew my name. When I told the reason for my annoyance to Sara, she said that it must have been some random call-center that acquired my number from a list that appeared on a screen in front of them.

The interview continued without problem. For about... jeesh... I didn't watch the time. It was enjoyable for sure though time seemed to take forever to even pass a single second. We talked about the style of the band, the genre(s), the inspirations and future plans. But most importantly, about the EP that we're going to release. Containing Away, BPR, War Drums, a yet to be written song and a cover and translation of Rammstein's Ich Will.

After that, we had a few more topics we discussed off-screen. Namely the stupidity of the LAA, the purists and all who follow the same example. But also our own "brilliant" actions.

In the meantime, Sara had half-eaten her macaroni as the rest got cold over time. When she inquired why I couldn't eat with her, I gave her the address Roxanne specified. She understood why now, but I still didn't. And she wouldn't tell me.

Instead, she accompanied me to the exit. Everything seemed to be settled but I still felt quite bad for how I treated her back there. I turned around and stopped the door from closing.

'Sara. I still feel like an ass for treating you like a piece of dirt.' I confessed. Her reaction was more honest this time. She didn't shook it off like nothing this time. I guess getting to know me a little better got her to open up to me more.

'You indeed acted like an idiot. But you're a cute one.' she said with an even more cute smile. 'Besides, I've already forgiven you by hosting that interview.'

'What if I were to say that you could join me and the guys backstage sometime when we have another gig?' I proposed to her.

I saw her eyes fill up with excitement when I suggested that to her. It's like a huge dream come true! Not only can she do a report live, but she can also have exclusive conversations with every member. She froze for a quick second before she took herself serious again. She turned around without saying a word and closed the door right in my face with a kick with her foot.

'You'll have to call me though...' was a message she was able to transmit to my ears just before the door closed. I laughed it off, guessing that she most likely wanted to keep her cool. The laughing however was quickly drenched by the immersive cold that surrounded me again. I quickly zipped my coat up and got into my car as fast as I could.

The moment I sat my ass into the seat, I turned on the ignition and turned the heater to 100 million degrees. I blew in my paws to warm them up and licked my lips to gain the same effect. Thankfully, the heater in this car worked wonders as within a minute, not only my butt was settled but everything was.

I looked at my phone to check the time. It was 20:30 and when I took a good look outside, I saw that dusk had taken over without me realizing it. I guess I killed more time than I thought. I turned on the GPS on my phone and put in the address. It was a quarter of an hour (fancy words for your vocabulary Ryan) away. Not willing to show up late, not even _fashionably_, I just took off into the brewing up nightlife of Papetoon City.


End file.
